O Prejuízos na saúde mental e nos papéis ocupacionais de universitários durante a pandemia

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought students not only concern about illness and risk of death, but has suddenly altered their routines due to the need to perform remote teaching activities in their homes, thus altering the performance of their occupational roles and potentially compromising their mental health. Objective: To identify symptoms of anxiety and depression in university students in remote teaching activities and possible consequences on the performance of their occupational roles during the pandemic. Method: Participated in the research 112 university students of health and humanities courses of a public university in the State of São Paulo. Four instruments were used: Sociodemographic questionnaire with aspects of routine and academic life; Occupational Roles Identification List; Patient Health Questionnaire  (PHQ 9); Patient Health Questionnaire  (PHQ 4). The data of the sociodemographic questionnaire were analyzed by means of calculations of descriptive statistics and the data of the instruments according to their analysis protocol. Results: It was found that 67.8% of the university students presented symptoms of depression and 29.5% of anxiety. Changes were identified in the eating routine, sleep, practice of physical activities, increase in domestic activities, change in interpersonal relationships and academic difficulties, decrease in the roles of student, religious, worker, volunteer and hobby, and increased activities in the roles of family member, domestic services and caregiver. Thus, support measures are needed for university students aimed at restructuring their routines, rescuing relationships and healthy management of academic life, their occupational roles and mitigating emotional symptoms.